Law Enforcement is Systematically Dehumanizing Standing Rock Water Protectors to Justify Violence

Police have justified their tactics throughout the Standing Rock resistance. Photo by Christopher Francisco

Guest Commentary

Published February 19, 2017

Part 1 of 2

Dehumanization; it is the first step to war. Long before the tanks roll onto ships, or planes fly overhead, propaganda strips the enemy of their humanity. The simplest way to dehumanize is to demonize. The Morton County Sheriff and local press are knowingly and calculatingly taking aim at the safety of the Standing Rock Water Protectors’ by slowly tainting the perception of their character and stripping them of their humanity.

On October 16, 2016, the Morton County Sheriff published on their Facebook page an article from Inforum.com with the headline “Butchered and missing livestock reported near Dakota Access Pipeline protest camp” The article connected the Standing Rock Water Protector camps to 30 missing cows, and the deaths of four cows, three bison and a saddle horse by saying it happened near the camps.

The cow rustling incident was in a different county, investigated by a different sheriff. It was not Morton County’s jurisdiction.

North Dakota Stockmen’s Association (NDSA) Chief Brand Inspector Stan Misek asserted, “They’re [the cattle] missing from right beside the camps, right there. We don’t know. We don’t know for sure. We’re just putting it out there and hopefully somebody will come forward.”

The camps are monitored by aircraft which visit numerous times per day. Police have stations on the ridges above the camps. They employ electronic surveillance devices which trap cell traffic. It is monitored at all times, day and night. One camp is up a large hill and has cattle catchers on the way in. Another is in a large geographic bowl and into a plain. It is surrounded by rivers on three sides – which at the time were not frozen. The only part of the camp which is not surrounded by river is lined by a major highway.

Barbed-wire fences coated with frozen water from water cannons.

The idea that Water Protectors sneaked out undetected past the hundreds of police and aircraft, collected 30 cattle, smuggled them back to camp, took them along the highway, and took them either up a huge three-mile hill, past cattle catchers or down a big hill, slaughtered them, butchered them, and ate them with no detection is truly a concession of incompetence of police surveillance or entirely fallacious.

The improbably and reality is not point. This was no mindless move, or silly bit of eye rolling non-sense. It was a shot right at the Water Protectors’ safety. It was a shrewd move to show the Standing Rock Sioux, Water Protectors, and their supporters the Sheriff knows history – and they mean to repeat it.

A dead cow and dehumanization led to wars lasting 14 years.

In 1854, the cow of a Mormon traveler on the Oregon Trail was killed by a starving Native American. Instead of dispatching an Indian Affairs Officer as treaty required, the military sent itself to deal with the situation. Lakota Chief Conquering Bear met the battalion of American Army soldiers peacefully. The military demanded he turn over the cow murderer. Conquering Bear refused because it is against Lakota custom to put a guest in a harmful situation. He offered the Mormon a horse and a cow. The Mormon demanded money. Conquering Bear had no money. Talks broke down. As he was walking away, Conquering Bear was shot in the back and died. The Lakota killed every single soldier. The Lakota were called violent. Newspapers said the Lakota massacred the soldiers. The spin on their response to the violent invasion of their territory was used to justify a war with the American people– The First Great Sioux War.

Julie Ellingson, NDSA Executive Vice President was asked for details including where, when, which ranchers, or for photos and stated, “This is an active investigation and those details cannot be disclosed at this time as law enforcement work the case.”

When asked how long it took for thirty cows to go missing, Ellingston said, “Sorry, but I do not know the answer, as that is something that the investigators gather in their case files.”

Four days later, the Sheriff again referenced the missing cows on his Facebook page, this time increasing the number of dead horses to two and reassuring the public that social media rumors that the cows had been found were entirely off base.

The cattle rustling was just one of Morton County Sheriff’s attempts to make the public see horns on the Water Protectors.

One of Morton County Sheriff’s favorite tactics is to post videos of local residents complaining about the camps. Generally the videos lack any direct interaction with Water Protectors – instead conveying stories about neighbors who have interactions.

On one of the Morton County Sheriff’s video posts, an unnamed rancher explained in an interview with Scott Hennen on the radio show “What’s On Your Mind” that he bought a gun to defend himself against Water Protectors after an interaction with a neighbor. “I have a neighbor who lives in the pipeline area and he asked if he needed help, if I would come and help. I said I would.” He continued, “At that point I didn’t really have anything to go help him with. So I proceeded to acquire some stuff.”

He confessed that his only interaction with a Water Protector was watching them change a flat tire.

Even when interactions are direct, the bar for fear seems preposterously low. After having a conversation with a Water Protector, which by his account had no threats in it at all, Jared Ernst, a local farmer, bought guns. He said, “I’ve been carrying a sidearm on me everywhere I go. I have a small revolver that I carry, my wife has started carrying, a bunch of the neighbors have started carrying firearms in their vehicles.”

Even though the geographic region of origin of Water Protectors should play no role in their arrest or charges, the Morton County Sheriff put out a map of where the arrestees were from. In a smacking case of “let’s play jingoism” the sheriff made the tacit argument that it is the outsiders ruining the community and making problems.

The map calls the arrested individuals “professional protestors.” Even though Morton County Sheriff provides no evidence for the professionalism of the protestors, or who is funding them, or why they are called professional protestors – they are called professional.

The professional protestor myth is a new form of racist double speak. Whenever a group of people who are primarily not- white gather to assert their rights – as in the Winters’ Doctrine which assures fresh, clean drinking water to all Native American Nations and the people living in them, the “George Soros Myth” pops up.

The George Soros Myth is essentially that a Jewish guy is sending hapless, mindless, uneducated, unemployed, brown people who are driven only by money to upset the poor white Christian folks and their communities.

Yup – it is a double whammy of dehumanization and racism. It requires the speaker and the listener to believe Jewish people want to upset their communities and that brown people are so stupid, and mindless that they would do anything for money – including upsetting poor, innocent people.

It also requires both the listener and the speaker of the myth to accept that white people have an inherent right to have their realities stay exactly the way they want it and it is morally wrong for Jewish people or brown people to assert rights or pay people to assert rights which upset their inherent right to keep things status quo.

For a group of people who in general voted for Trump to further free market capitalism – the idea people would get paid as a way to express market values – like clean water or equal pay – is a monumental act of hypocrisy.

The map is nothing more than a tantrum that the superiority of white people might be challenged in North Dakota and its development was paid for by a public law enforcement official.

And why? It serves no formal law enforcement purpose. It does however serve an important social purpose.

LaRae Meadows is a freelance writer, who has been embedded at Standing Rock.

About The Author

Yes, very astute observations on the workings of people with devious minds who need to convince others of their own racially bigoted madness. Demonstrated quite forcefully in Hitler’s Germany, scapegoating the Jewish population for everything that was perceived as evil in that country. Hitler also had a war of words with the free press in Germany, until he finally eliminated the free press on grounds of treason if anything was printed that disparaged his regime. The penalty of course, was death. Much as I hate to ring this bell again, Trump is having his own war of words with the media, going so far as to say the news media is not just his enemy, but the enemy of the people of this country. And I hate to say it, but the media coddled him for so long, enabling his madness, which was and is quite evident to any thinking person, and now they find themselves in his sights, and are on the receiving end of his crazy expostulations. He’s quite mad, really, and the Sheriff, Governor, and Comey, director of the FBI are in the same boat. These people have never grasped the concept of public service as serving the people- they hold the people of this country in contempt if they think of them at all, and utter disregard if they don’t. But like all bullies, they need to convince other people that those being picked on are unworthy of compassion, that indeed the picked on are deserving of the violence inflicted upon them.

LaRae Meadows a freelance writer who is covering Standing Roc, her guest commentary was excellent and should be sent to other newspapers to be submitted and hopefully published. This article should also be sent to other media outlets such as TYT, MSNBE, CNN FSTV, Democracy Now and PBS as local television stations.

Lisa Anderson2 years ago

YESS!!!!! I have been doing my part, by sharing it EVERYWHERE!! Everyone needs to do EVERYTHING they can to get this out. Well done, LaRae Meadows!! VERY WELL DONE!!!! <3

I like your article. If you are saying that professional protestors don’t exist, I totally disagree. Professional protestors and agitators are a part of that early stage war you referred to.

Lillie Edwards2 years ago

It is a shame on America for the world to see how they treat the Native Americans! No matter what they do the world is watching. This day in time they cannot stop word getting out! People will know and and when this regime changes (and it will) sooner or later, the culprits will pay!

This opinion piece leaves out a few things like the words and actions of the protesters that dehumanize law enforcement as monstrous beasts brutalizing woman and children, or the fact that some of the activists have been caught slaughtering local livestock…at one point encouraged to do so by one of the de facto leaders of the movement.

The comment about the Soros myth is itself the racist doublespeak it talks about. First, it has been proven by multiple other sources that Soros indeed has been funding multiple organizations for various anti-government, destabilization, or eco-terrorist groups.

It sounds like the author has a bias or prejudice against a white Boogeyman or Christians. These sidebar tangents provide no support for the central thesis of the article and serve to expose the biased piece for what it is…a biased opinion without any real facts or evidence. Let’s keep it on the opinion page and not spread it around.

I agree that there have been dehumanization strategies taking place since day one on both side. As a former police officer, I was offended by some of the early portrait being painted of the Police involved. Look, even the term ‘Water protector’. Now, the use of water cannons, bad, poor taste. The attempts to demonize the police when they showed up in armored vehicles and with semi-automatic weapons…..the skins did their best to again demonize the police…..yet, the police were still showing up greatly outnumbered and yes, they are going to show up with the ability to defend themselves against a greater force that were not always ‘peaceful’. I cringed when I watched one of the videos early on when there were only about 15 cops and a number of skins showed up on War ponies and one or more charged the police to intimidate them. So, the police showed up with ‘their war ponies’.
Both side I think have been attempting to use the media to demonize the opposition and to paint themselves as the victims. I must admit,I have been saddened by some of what I have seen happen, like the use of water cannons in sub-freezing weather……made no sense to me.

G Martin2 years ago

How dare you call us “SKINS”, we are the INDIGENOUS PEOPLE of this country. We are NATIVE AMERIANS. I’ll even go as far to say we are AMERICAN INDIANS.
By calling us “SKINS” speaks a thousand words about how racist, disrespectful and bias you are against our culture and our people.
Enough is enough
Honor our Treaties and our rights as Human Beings and American Citizens

Marian2 years ago

Let’s not get distracted from the whole reason why this confrontation is happening in the first place. I think the violent tactics being used, which include the use of force in any way, and the use of subversive propaganda from either side, are abhorrent. The posturing and strategizing on both sides dismays me. It never fails to amaze me that people can’t talk to people when there is money involved. This pipeline represents a huge pot of gold for a select few. These are people with money who are fully capable of spreading it around to smooth the road to more riches. My question is this . . . When exactly did our government turn its back on its People, to only listen to those with money? And when did the government quit believing that the People were intelligent?! I am frustrated beyond measure and fed up with the obvious and bold lies that are coming out of so many mouths in this confrontation. I feel that if so many people have a concern, then that concern should be addressed! I also feel that if there are agreements that have been established years ago, those agreements should still be agreements! Treaties by definition are “a formally concluded and ratified agreement between countries.” By calling these agreements Treaties, the US government recognizes the Native American People and its lands as a Country. Therefore, the US government does not have any right to invade the Native American Country in order to insert a pipeline, which by the way, will only serve the rich, with most of the oil being sold and shipped out of the country. All I can say is that the rich are getting bolder with their lies, and the government is getting more corrupt, as self serving officials gain power.

Yesse2 years ago

This is a legal document stating that poison Rozol was found in and around camp. It involves dead buffalo. I can email this to anyone in pdf. Here is what it says:

For Immediate Release
PUBLIC HEALTH WARNING AND ADVISORY FOR STANDING ROCK
“Possible Chlorophacinone (ROZOL) dangerous rat poison exposure”
Cannonball, North Dakota, Jan. 23, 2017 – This public health warning and advisory for Standing Rock
is being issued by us as a precaution to those who have passed though the camps in and around the
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
Water protectors (aka known as protesters) who have been camped out since April 1st, 2016 at the
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation area may have been unknowing exposed to a dangerous and
toxic rat poison known as Chlorophacinone (ROZOL).
An article appeared in the Bismark Tribune below that has more details for the poisoning inclident.
Meyer ranch buffalo under quarantine for ROZOL poison, LAUREN DONOVAN Bismarck
Tribune, Jan 22, 2017. http://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/meyer-ranchbuffalo-
under-quarantine-for-ROZOL-poison/article_7230182c-a174-51e2-88f8-
b2977a936462.html
Some 350 indigenous nations and up to 20,000 people passed through the camps to protest against
the Dakota Access Pipeline, setting up camps in various locations in and around the Standing Rock
Sioux Tribe Reservation. Many people have come back from the camps reporting symptoms and
illnesses of what is referred to as the DAPL cough, bloody noses, fatigue and some people have
reported to have coughing up blood.
The 900 buffaloes at the David Meyer’s former Cannonball Ranch near the Standing Rock Sioux
Reservation as well as on the former Wilder Ranch to the south have been under quarantine due to
the illegal application of Chlorophacinone (ROZOL) until September of 2017. David and Ernie Fisher
who shared a grazing lease on the same pesticide laced Cannonball Ranch had another herd of 600
animals on the same ranch. They reported having as many as 14 dead or missing animals, which they
claimed were killed and eaten by the water protectors (protesters).
The article in the Bismark Tribune states, “The situation dates to April, when six dead bald
eagles and dead bison were discovered at the former Wilder Ranch. An Environmental
Protection Agency-led investigation found that 40,000 pounds of ROZOL poison had been
illegally distributed across more than 5,400 acres on both ranches, according to EPA
documents.” Upon investigation by the EPA, the ranch had dead bald eagles, dead
prairie dogs, and dead bison.
Chlorophacinone makes creatures that ingest it bleed from every orifice and stagger around for the
week or two or three it takes them to die, attracting predators and scavengers. Whatever eats the
anticoagulant-laced victim dies, too. The creatures meat is unfit for human consumption and can
cause blood clots. Highly toxic if it enters the food chain. Exposure to Chlorophacinone can come from
skin contact of an infected animal, handling feces and urine, consuming the meat of the animal and
direct contact with land and water contaminated with Chlorophacinone.
Even the feces from the animals are considered bio-hazard material. The effects of long term
exposure of Chlorophacinone is unknown and there are no safe limits to having safe amounts of
Chlorophacinone in your system after exposure.
“The EPA order for the cleanup was to : tilling of all misapplied ROZOL to ensure there is no
longer any ROZOL on the surface of the pasture land or any other land;”
This means the 40,000 pounds of ROZOL poison was just to bury it in the soil, contaminating the
water and soil around the ranches area. This means there was no real clean up of the contaminated
land.
The adult buffalo are under quarantine until September 2017, though yearlings were released from the
no-sale hold on Jan. 1, 2017. Upon calling the EPA, it was reported that 100 yearlings under
quarantine until Jan 1, 2017 were sold on Jan 7, 2017 to unsuspecting buyers who might put the
bisons into the food chain. Beverly Fisher in the article says that none of these yearlings were ever
under quarantine that was sold. The EPA reports that some of the bisons sold were those under
quarantine. Someone is not telling the truth here.
From the EPA docket Docket No. RCRA-8-2016 for the bison incident was dated April 22, 2016, just
right after protests started for the Dakota Access Pipeline. The case is still under investigation.https://yosemite.epa.gov/OA/rhc/EPAAdmin.nsf/Filings/C1E7625EAD6A09A485257FA1001BC0C1/$Fi
le/RCRA-08-2016-0003%20AO.pdf
About the Save the Buffalo Nation Campaign
The Save the Buffalo Nation Campaign is a campaign to create Buffalo Sanctuary
Cooperatives to return and restore 250,000 buffaloes to their ancestral lands, starting with
locations near the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
The Save the Buffalo Nation Campaign is headed by Mother Earth Trust, a sovereign that
manages World Heritage Sanctuaries and also manages the World Basic Income Program.
The Save the Buffalo Nation Campaign is also supported by Free Nations United to Heal Our
Mother Earth, a sovereign that manages Water is Life Unity Alliance that is supported by 20
indigenous nations and sovereigns.http://SaveTheBuffalo.com
Contact:
Campaign: Save the Buffalo Nation
Spokesperson: Ambassador David Kam
Email: help@savethebuffalo.com
Tel: 562-353-7288
Website: http://SaveTheBuffalo.com
###

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